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At 41 years of age Chuck Sharp has been hunting the Virginia woods since he was a child. Born and raised in Roanoke, he is a former marine and for the last 15 years he has been with the Roanoke City Fire EMS. The flexible schedule of being a firefighter allows this hunter to spend many days afield, especially come November.
Chuck went on his first ever CITY deer hunt about 5 years ago with former Roanoke Times outdoor editor Mark Taylor and has been hooked ever since. Chuck and another friend have since put in many hours securing some great urban spots to hunt in the Star City.
One of these spots yielded a great Star City Whitetail. In 2012 Chuck gained access to a prime piece of hunting ground and after a short scouting trip of the property he determined it had lots of potential and that he would not step foot back on the property until mid November when southwest Virginia's rut would be in play.
Chuck studied an aerial GIS map of the property and chose a pinch point or funnel between two brushy areas that may be used for bedding and protection. Not only was this an urban area where the sounds of cars, trucks, planes and sirens very prevalent, but the well worn travel path between the 2 thick areas where Chuck was going to set up on the ground near a bamboo patch was literally littered with bottles, cans and trash that a small stream had swept into this spot. This spot also required an east wind for hunting success.
A mid November morning with an east wind offered Chuck the perfect hunting scenario for this property and he arrived well before daylight and headed in. His only entry point, given the wind direction, was through the cans and bottles and with all the clinging and clanging he made, Chuck was sure that all the deer in the area were alerted.
Much to his surpise, as the sun rose so did the deer movement. There was almost continuos activity all morning including one nice 9 point buck, but because it was his first trip to the property, he sat patiently hoping for a monster. Most of Chuck's hunts are all day sets and this one was no different and he was excited about the deer movement.
The next morning offered an east wind and without hesitation Chuck found himself back in the bamboo ambush blind. At 8am he noticed 2 does coming his way through the funnel zone. The does were acting nervous and continued to look back in the direction from where they had come. The does had traveled to within 5 feet of where Chuck was setting and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Within moments a tremendous Star City Whitetail was heading toward him and the does with his nose to the ground.
This was the biggest buck that Chuck had ever layed eyes on in the woods and he thought very soon he would have a 10 yard broadside shot at the beast. As the buck closed in, the hunter mentally prepared himself for the shot while trying to remain motionless as to not scare the does. Just before the buck provided a shot opportunity it decided to charge the does splitting them up like bowling pins.
Now the buck had passed through the shooting zone and was into thicker brush where Chuck had no shot. Although this would be the first and last meeting between hunter and buck of the 2012 hunting season the buck didn't go quitely. Just before disappearing into the thicket after the does the buck did something that made this tenured hunter's hair stand up on the back of his neck. The buck executed a real live snort-wheeze then bounded off after the ladies.
Chuck did end up harvesting a mature 9pnt buck several weeks later from the same spot, but he couldn't wait till the 2013 season to hopefully meet up with the big boy again. He actually got a late December picture of the big buck so he knew he was still in the area.
Chuck's first 3 sets in 2013 yielded no deer sightings at all and on his 4th trip to the property he decided to move mid day from his bamboo stand to another spot on the property just to change things up. This would prove to be Chuck's best hunting decision of his life. He sat up behind a fallen tree near a fence row where there were many ground scrapes and rubs.
He had only been settled in for a short time when he noticed the big buck that he had an epic meeting with the past season making his way along the fence row following a doe about 100 yards away. Chuck quickly grabbed his binoculars and noticed the buck had put on some body and antler size and was now a main frame 12 pointer. The buck followed the doe into the woods away from the hunter and out of sight.
Chuck was fired up and hoping since it was only 12 o'clock that the big buck would show himself again before dark. Throughout the day Chuck decided to spray his buck bomb into the air each time a gust of wind would come up. The next few hours were spent deerless and around 3pm a lone doe appeared and began meandering through the woods in front of him. At least now he had some "live bait" to hopefully attract a buck in.
Right at 4pm Chuck again gave a blast of buck bomb to the wind and as he sat the can back down he noticed movement off to the side. It was the big 12 point Star City Whitetail. Chuck told me he would like to think the buck came in to investigate his buck bomb plan, but it was a combination of the right moves that paid off for Chuck not to mention the "live bait" doe was still hanging out and as soon as the monarch layed eyes on her he made a B-line to her. Fortunately Chuck was able to stop the buck at 37 yards with a mouth grunt and let an arrow fly from his Parker Tornado cross bow.
Chuck recalls that he thought the arrow struck the buck a little low, but that the hit sounded good and looked like a fatal shot. The big whitetail gave a mule kick and bounded off into the woods. Chuck followed him with his binoculars and noticed that the buck was acting as if it was unscaved. Although the hunter felt good about the shot he was dissapointed to see the deer walk off and disappear.
As darkness approached Chuck wanted to at least locate his arrow so he gathered his stuff and walked over to where he had shot the buck. Indeed the arrow was close by and there was a decent amount of blood on the ground. The arrow contained some stomach matter and Chuck decided to back out and return the following morning.
As any hunter can imagine Chuck spent a sleepless night playing the shot back in his mind and praying that his search the next morning would turn up the buck of a lifetime.
At first light he was back at the property and the search began. He started where he found his arrow and followed a faint blood trail for some distance until it faded out. Now the pessimism and anxiety were setting in, but he continued his search. With no blood trail he decided he would grid search the property and see what happens. Finally after 3 hours of relentless pursuit he found his buck more than 200 yards from where he had shot it. The wounded buck tried his best not to be found working his way into a very thick briar patch to expire.
Although Chuck Sharp loves hunting mature whitetails he has no desire for big buck accolades. He has never had his buck officailly scored and has entered no big bame shows. Unfortunately the hunting ground on which this hunt took place has changed hands and he no longer has hunting rights he still continues his pursuit for big Star City Whitetails.
Jeff Phillips
At 41 years of age Chuck Sharp has been hunting the Virginia woods since he was a child. Born and raised in Roanoke, he is a former marine and for the last 15 years he has been with the Roanoke City Fire EMS. The flexible schedule of being a firefighter allows this hunter to spend many days afield, especially come November.
Chuck went on his first ever CITY deer hunt about 5 years ago with former Roanoke Times outdoor editor Mark Taylor and has been hooked ever since. Chuck and another friend have since put in many hours securing some great urban spots to hunt in the Star City.
One of these spots yielded a great Star City Whitetail. In 2012 Chuck gained access to a prime piece of hunting ground and after a short scouting trip of the property he determined it had lots of potential and that he would not step foot back on the property until mid November when southwest Virginia's rut would be in play.
Chuck studied an aerial GIS map of the property and chose a pinch point or funnel between two brushy areas that may be used for bedding and protection. Not only was this an urban area where the sounds of cars, trucks, planes and sirens very prevalent, but the well worn travel path between the 2 thick areas where Chuck was going to set up on the ground near a bamboo patch was literally littered with bottles, cans and trash that a small stream had swept into this spot. This spot also required an east wind for hunting success.
A mid November morning with an east wind offered Chuck the perfect hunting scenario for this property and he arrived well before daylight and headed in. His only entry point, given the wind direction, was through the cans and bottles and with all the clinging and clanging he made, Chuck was sure that all the deer in the area were alerted.
Much to his surpise, as the sun rose so did the deer movement. There was almost continuos activity all morning including one nice 9 point buck, but because it was his first trip to the property, he sat patiently hoping for a monster. Most of Chuck's hunts are all day sets and this one was no different and he was excited about the deer movement.
The next morning offered an east wind and without hesitation Chuck found himself back in the bamboo ambush blind. At 8am he noticed 2 does coming his way through the funnel zone. The does were acting nervous and continued to look back in the direction from where they had come. The does had traveled to within 5 feet of where Chuck was setting and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Within moments a tremendous Star City Whitetail was heading toward him and the does with his nose to the ground.
This was the biggest buck that Chuck had ever layed eyes on in the woods and he thought very soon he would have a 10 yard broadside shot at the beast. As the buck closed in, the hunter mentally prepared himself for the shot while trying to remain motionless as to not scare the does. Just before the buck provided a shot opportunity it decided to charge the does splitting them up like bowling pins.
Now the buck had passed through the shooting zone and was into thicker brush where Chuck had no shot. Although this would be the first and last meeting between hunter and buck of the 2012 hunting season the buck didn't go quitely. Just before disappearing into the thicket after the does the buck did something that made this tenured hunter's hair stand up on the back of his neck. The buck executed a real live snort-wheeze then bounded off after the ladies.
Chuck did end up harvesting a mature 9pnt buck several weeks later from the same spot, but he couldn't wait till the 2013 season to hopefully meet up with the big boy again. He actually got a late December picture of the big buck so he knew he was still in the area.
Chuck's first 3 sets in 2013 yielded no deer sightings at all and on his 4th trip to the property he decided to move mid day from his bamboo stand to another spot on the property just to change things up. This would prove to be Chuck's best hunting decision of his life. He sat up behind a fallen tree near a fence row where there were many ground scrapes and rubs.
He had only been settled in for a short time when he noticed the big buck that he had an epic meeting with the past season making his way along the fence row following a doe about 100 yards away. Chuck quickly grabbed his binoculars and noticed the buck had put on some body and antler size and was now a main frame 12 pointer. The buck followed the doe into the woods away from the hunter and out of sight.
Chuck was fired up and hoping since it was only 12 o'clock that the big buck would show himself again before dark. Throughout the day Chuck decided to spray his buck bomb into the air each time a gust of wind would come up. The next few hours were spent deerless and around 3pm a lone doe appeared and began meandering through the woods in front of him. At least now he had some "live bait" to hopefully attract a buck in.
Right at 4pm Chuck again gave a blast of buck bomb to the wind and as he sat the can back down he noticed movement off to the side. It was the big 12 point Star City Whitetail. Chuck told me he would like to think the buck came in to investigate his buck bomb plan, but it was a combination of the right moves that paid off for Chuck not to mention the "live bait" doe was still hanging out and as soon as the monarch layed eyes on her he made a B-line to her. Fortunately Chuck was able to stop the buck at 37 yards with a mouth grunt and let an arrow fly from his Parker Tornado cross bow.
Chuck recalls that he thought the arrow struck the buck a little low, but that the hit sounded good and looked like a fatal shot. The big whitetail gave a mule kick and bounded off into the woods. Chuck followed him with his binoculars and noticed that the buck was acting as if it was unscaved. Although the hunter felt good about the shot he was dissapointed to see the deer walk off and disappear.
As darkness approached Chuck wanted to at least locate his arrow so he gathered his stuff and walked over to where he had shot the buck. Indeed the arrow was close by and there was a decent amount of blood on the ground. The arrow contained some stomach matter and Chuck decided to back out and return the following morning.
As any hunter can imagine Chuck spent a sleepless night playing the shot back in his mind and praying that his search the next morning would turn up the buck of a lifetime.
At first light he was back at the property and the search began. He started where he found his arrow and followed a faint blood trail for some distance until it faded out. Now the pessimism and anxiety were setting in, but he continued his search. With no blood trail he decided he would grid search the property and see what happens. Finally after 3 hours of relentless pursuit he found his buck more than 200 yards from where he had shot it. The wounded buck tried his best not to be found working his way into a very thick briar patch to expire.
Although Chuck Sharp loves hunting mature whitetails he has no desire for big buck accolades. He has never had his buck officailly scored and has entered no big bame shows. Unfortunately the hunting ground on which this hunt took place has changed hands and he no longer has hunting rights he still continues his pursuit for big Star City Whitetails.
Jeff Phillips
At 41 years of age Chuck Sharp has been hunting the Virginia woods since he was a child. Born and raised in Roanoke, he is a former marine and for the last 15 years he has been with the Roanoke City Fire EMS. The flexible schedule of being a firefighter allows this hunter to spend many days afield, especially come November.
Chuck went on his first ever CITY deer hunt about 5 years ago with former Roanoke Times outdoor editor Mark Taylor and has been hooked ever since. Chuck and another friend have since put in many hours securing some great urban spots to hunt in the Star City.
One of these spots yielded a great Star City Whitetail. In 2012 Chuck gained access to a prime piece of hunting ground and after a short scouting trip of the property he determined it had lots of potential and that he would not step foot back on the property until mid November when southwest Virginia's rut would be in play.
Chuck studied an aerial GIS map of the property and chose a pinch point or funnel between two brushy areas that may be used for bedding and protection. Not only was this an urban area where the sounds of cars, trucks, planes and sirens very prevalent, but the well worn travel path between the 2 thick areas where Chuck was going to set up on the ground near a bamboo patch was literally littered with bottles, cans and trash that a small stream had swept into this spot. This spot also required an east wind for hunting success.
A mid November morning with an east wind offered Chuck the perfect hunting scenario for this property and he arrived well before daylight and headed in. His only entry point, given the wind direction, was through the cans and bottles and with all the clinging and clanging he made, Chuck was sure that all the deer in the area were alerted.
Much to his surpise, as the sun rose so did the deer movement. There was almost continuos activity all morning including one nice 9 point buck, but because it was his first trip to the property, he sat patiently hoping for a monster. Most of Chuck's hunts are all day sets and this one was no different and he was excited about the deer movement.
The next morning offered an east wind and without hesitation Chuck found himself back in the bamboo ambush blind. At 8am he noticed 2 does coming his way through the funnel zone. The does were acting nervous and continued to look back in the direction from where they had come. The does had traveled to within 5 feet of where Chuck was setting and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Within moments a tremendous Star City Whitetail was heading toward him and the does with his nose to the ground.
This was the biggest buck that Chuck had ever layed eyes on in the woods and he thought very soon he would have a 10 yard broadside shot at the beast. As the buck closed in, the hunter mentally prepared himself for the shot while trying to remain motionless as to not scare the does. Just before the buck provided a shot opportunity it decided to charge the does splitting them up like bowling pins.
Now the buck had passed through the shooting zone and was into thicker brush where Chuck had no shot. Although this would be the first and last meeting between hunter and buck of the 2012 hunting season the buck didn't go quitely. Just before disappearing into the thicket after the does the buck did something that made this tenured hunter's hair stand up on the back of his neck. The buck executed a real live snort-wheeze then bounded off after the ladies.
Chuck did end up harvesting a mature 9pnt buck several weeks later from the same spot, but he couldn't wait till the 2013 season to hopefully meet up with the big boy again. He actually got a late December picture of the big buck so he knew he was still in the area.
Chuck's first 3 sets in 2013 yielded no deer sightings at all and on his 4th trip to the property he decided to move mid day from his bamboo stand to another spot on the property just to change things up. This would prove to be Chuck's best hunting decision of his life. He sat up behind a fallen tree near a fence row where there were many ground scrapes and rubs.
He had only been settled in for a short time when he noticed the big buck that he had an epic meeting with the past season making his way along the fence row following a doe about 100 yards away. Chuck quickly grabbed his binoculars and noticed the buck had put on some body and antler size and was now a main frame 12 pointer. The buck followed the doe into the woods away from the hunter and out of sight.
Chuck was fired up and hoping since it was only 12 o'clock that the big buck would show himself again before dark. Throughout the day Chuck decided to spray his buck bomb into the air each time a gust of wind would come up. The next few hours were spent deerless and around 3pm a lone doe appeared and began meandering through the woods in front of him. At least now he had some "live bait" to hopefully attract a buck in.
Right at 4pm Chuck again gave a blast of buck bomb to the wind and as he sat the can back down he noticed movement off to the side. It was the big 12 point Star City Whitetail. Chuck told me he would like to think the buck came in to investigate his buck bomb plan, but it was a combination of the right moves that paid off for Chuck not to mention the "live bait" doe was still hanging out and as soon as the monarch layed eyes on her he made a B-line to her. Fortunately Chuck was able to stop the buck at 37 yards with a mouth grunt and let an arrow fly from his Parker Tornado cross bow.
Chuck recalls that he thought the arrow struck the buck a little low, but that the hit sounded good and looked like a fatal shot. The big whitetail gave a mule kick and bounded off into the woods. Chuck followed him with his binoculars and noticed that the buck was acting as if it was unscaved. Although the hunter felt good about the shot he was dissapointed to see the deer walk off and disappear.
As darkness approached Chuck wanted to at least locate his arrow so he gathered his stuff and walked over to where he had shot the buck. Indeed the arrow was close by and there was a decent amount of blood on the ground. The arrow contained some stomach matter and Chuck decided to back out and return the following morning.
As any hunter can imagine Chuck spent a sleepless night playing the shot back in his mind and praying that his search the next morning would turn up the buck of a lifetime.
At first light he was back at the property and the search began. He started where he found his arrow and followed a faint blood trail for some distance until it faded out. Now the pessimism and anxiety were setting in, but he continued his search. With no blood trail he decided he would grid search the property and see what happens. Finally after 3 hours of relentless pursuit he found his buck more than 200 yards from where he had shot it. The wounded buck tried his best not to be found working his way into a very thick briar patch to expire.
Although Chuck Sharp loves hunting mature whitetails he has no desire for big buck accolades. He has never had his buck officailly scored and has entered no big bame shows. Unfortunately the hunting ground on which this hunt took place has changed hands and he no longer has hunting rights he still continues his pursuit for big Star City Whitetails.
Jeff Phillips
At 41 years of age Chuck Sharp has been hunting the Virginia woods since he was a child. Born and raised in Roanoke, he is a former marine and for the last 15 years he has been with the Roanoke City Fire EMS. The flexible schedule of being a firefighter allows this hunter to spend many days afield, especially come November.
Chuck went on his first ever CITY deer hunt about 5 years ago with former Roanoke Times outdoor editor Mark Taylor and has been hooked ever since. Chuck and another friend have since put in many hours securing some great urban spots to hunt in the Star City.
One of these spots yielded a great Star City Whitetail. In 2012 Chuck gained access to a prime piece of hunting ground and after a short scouting trip of the property he determined it had lots of potential and that he would not step foot back on the property until mid November when southwest Virginia's rut would be in play.
Chuck studied an aerial GIS map of the property and chose a pinch point or funnel between two brushy areas that may be used for bedding and protection. Not only was this an urban area where the sounds of cars, trucks, planes and sirens very prevalent, but the well worn travel path between the 2 thick areas where Chuck was going to set up on the ground near a bamboo patch was literally littered with bottles, cans and trash that a small stream had swept into this spot. This spot also required an east wind for hunting success.
A mid November morning with an east wind offered Chuck the perfect hunting scenario for this property and he arrived well before daylight and headed in. His only entry point, given the wind direction, was through the cans and bottles and with all the clinging and clanging he made, Chuck was sure that all the deer in the area were alerted.
Much to his surpise, as the sun rose so did the deer movement. There was almost continuos activity all morning including one nice 9 point buck, but because it was his first trip to the property, he sat patiently hoping for a monster. Most of Chuck's hunts are all day sets and this one was no different and he was excited about the deer movement.
The next morning offered an east wind and without hesitation Chuck found himself back in the bamboo ambush blind. At 8am he noticed 2 does coming his way through the funnel zone. The does were acting nervous and continued to look back in the direction from where they had come. The does had traveled to within 5 feet of where Chuck was setting and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Within moments a tremendous Star City Whitetail was heading toward him and the does with his nose to the ground.
This was the biggest buck that Chuck had ever layed eyes on in the woods and he thought very soon he would have a 10 yard broadside shot at the beast. As the buck closed in, the hunter mentally prepared himself for the shot while trying to remain motionless as to not scare the does. Just before the buck provided a shot opportunity it decided to charge the does splitting them up like bowling pins.
Now the buck had passed through the shooting zone and was into thicker brush where Chuck had no shot. Although this would be the first and last meeting between hunter and buck of the 2012 hunting season the buck didn't go quitely. Just before disappearing into the thicket after the does the buck did something that made this tenured hunter's hair stand up on the back of his neck. The buck executed a real live snort-wheeze then bounded off after the ladies.
Chuck did end up harvesting a mature 9pnt buck several weeks later from the same spot, but he couldn't wait till the 2013 season to hopefully meet up with the big boy again. He actually got a late December picture of the big buck so he knew he was still in the area.
Chuck's first 3 sets in 2013 yielded no deer sightings at all and on his 4th trip to the property he decided to move mid day from his bamboo stand to another spot on the property just to change things up. This would prove to be Chuck's best hunting decision of his life. He sat up behind a fallen tree near a fence row where there were many ground scrapes and rubs.
He had only been settled in for a short time when he noticed the big buck that he had an epic meeting with the past season making his way along the fence row following a doe about 100 yards away. Chuck quickly grabbed his binoculars and noticed the buck had put on some body and antler size and was now a main frame 12 pointer. The buck followed the doe into the woods away from the hunter and out of sight.
Chuck was fired up and hoping since it was only 12 o'clock that the big buck would show himself again before dark. Throughout the day Chuck decided to spray his buck bomb into the air each time a gust of wind would come up. The next few hours were spent deerless and around 3pm a lone doe appeared and began meandering through the woods in front of him. At least now he had some "live bait" to hopefully attract a buck in.
Right at 4pm Chuck again gave a blast of buck bomb to the wind and as he sat the can back down he noticed movement off to the side. It was the big 12 point Star City Whitetail. Chuck told me he would like to think the buck came in to investigate his buck bomb plan, but it was a combination of the right moves that paid off for Chuck not to mention the "live bait" doe was still hanging out and as soon as the monarch layed eyes on her he made a B-line to her. Fortunately Chuck was able to stop the buck at 37 yards with a mouth grunt and let an arrow fly from his Parker Tornado cross bow.
Chuck recalls that he thought the arrow struck the buck a little low, but that the hit sounded good and looked like a fatal shot. The big whitetail gave a mule kick and bounded off into the woods. Chuck followed him with his binoculars and noticed that the buck was acting as if it was unscaved. Although the hunter felt good about the shot he was dissapointed to see the deer walk off and disappear.
As darkness approached Chuck wanted to at least locate his arrow so he gathered his stuff and walked over to where he had shot the buck. Indeed the arrow was close by and there was a decent amount of blood on the ground. The arrow contained some stomach matter and Chuck decided to back out and return the following morning.
As any hunter can imagine Chuck spent a sleepless night playing the shot back in his mind and praying that his search the next morning would turn up the buck of a lifetime.
At first light he was back at the property and the search began. He started where he found his arrow and followed a faint blood trail for some distance until it faded out. Now the pessimism and anxiety were setting in, but he continued his search. With no blood trail he decided he would grid search the property and see what happens. Finally after 3 hours of relentless pursuit he found his buck more than 200 yards from where he had shot it. The wounded buck tried his best not to be found working his way into a very thick briar patch to expire.
Although Chuck Sharp loves hunting mature whitetails he has no desire for big buck accolades. He has never had his buck officailly scored and has entered no big bame shows. Unfortunately the hunting ground on which this hunt took place has changed hands and he no longer has hunting rights he still continues his pursuit for big Star City Whitetails.
Jeff Phillips
At 41 years of age Chuck Sharp has been hunting the Virginia woods since he was a child. Born and raised in Roanoke, he is a former marine and for the last 15 years he has been with the Roanoke City Fire EMS. The flexible schedule of being a firefighter allows this hunter to spend many days afield, especially come November.
Chuck went on his first ever CITY deer hunt about 5 years ago with former Roanoke Times outdoor editor Mark Taylor and has been hooked ever since. Chuck and another friend have since put in many hours securing some great urban spots to hunt in the Star City.
One of these spots yielded a great Star City Whitetail. In 2012 Chuck gained access to a prime piece of hunting ground and after a short scouting trip of the property he determined it had lots of potential and that he would not step foot back on the property until mid November when southwest Virginia's rut would be in play.
Chuck studied an aerial GIS map of the property and chose a pinch point or funnel between two brushy areas that may be used for bedding and protection. Not only was this an urban area where the sounds of cars, trucks, planes and sirens very prevalent, but the well worn travel path between the 2 thick areas where Chuck was going to set up on the ground near a bamboo patch was literally littered with bottles, cans and trash that a small stream had swept into this spot. This spot also required an east wind for hunting success.
A mid November morning with an east wind offered Chuck the perfect hunting scenario for this property and he arrived well before daylight and headed in. His only entry point, given the wind direction, was through the cans and bottles and with all the clinging and clanging he made, Chuck was sure that all the deer in the area were alerted.
Much to his surpise, as the sun rose so did the deer movement. There was almost continuos activity all morning including one nice 9 point buck, but because it was his first trip to the property, he sat patiently hoping for a monster. Most of Chuck's hunts are all day sets and this one was no different and he was excited about the deer movement.
The next morning offered an east wind and without hesitation Chuck found himself back in the bamboo ambush blind. At 8am he noticed 2 does coming his way through the funnel zone. The does were acting nervous and continued to look back in the direction from where they had come. The does had traveled to within 5 feet of where Chuck was setting and his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Within moments a tremendous Star City Whitetail was heading toward him and the does with his nose to the ground.
This was the biggest buck that Chuck had ever layed eyes on in the woods and he thought very soon he would have a 10 yard broadside shot at the beast. As the buck closed in, the hunter mentally prepared himself for the shot while trying to remain motionless as to not scare the does. Just before the buck provided a shot opportunity it decided to charge the does splitting them up like bowling pins.
Now the buck had passed through the shooting zone and was into thicker brush where Chuck had no shot. Although this would be the first and last meeting between hunter and buck of the 2012 hunting season the buck didn't go quitely. Just before disappearing into the thicket after the does the buck did something that made this tenured hunter's hair stand up on the back of his neck. The buck executed a real live snort-wheeze then bounded off after the ladies.
Chuck did end up harvesting a mature 9pnt buck several weeks later from the same spot, but he couldn't wait till the 2013 season to hopefully meet up with the big boy again. He actually got a late December picture of the big buck so he knew he was still in the area.
Chuck's first 3 sets in 2013 yielded no deer sightings at all and on his 4th trip to the property he decided to move mid day from his bamboo stand to another spot on the property just to change things up. This would prove to be Chuck's best hunting decision of his life. He sat up behind a fallen tree near a fence row where there were many ground scrapes and rubs.
He had only been settled in for a short time when he noticed the big buck that he had an epic meeting with the past season making his way along the fence row following a doe about 100 yards away. Chuck quickly grabbed his binoculars and noticed the buck had put on some body and antler size and was now a main frame 12 pointer. The buck followed the doe into the woods away from the hunter and out of sight.
Chuck was fired up and hoping since it was only 12 o'clock that the big buck would show himself again before dark. Throughout the day Chuck decided to spray his buck bomb into the air each time a gust of wind would come up. The next few hours were spent deerless and around 3pm a lone doe appeared and began meandering through the woods in front of him. At least now he had some "live bait" to hopefully attract a buck in.
Right at 4pm Chuck again gave a blast of buck bomb to the wind and as he sat the can back down he noticed movement off to the side. It was the big 12 point Star City Whitetail. Chuck told me he would like to think the buck came in to investigate his buck bomb plan, but it was a combination of the right moves that paid off for Chuck not to mention the "live bait" doe was still hanging out and as soon as the monarch layed eyes on her he made a B-line to her. Fortunately Chuck was able to stop the buck at 37 yards with a mouth grunt and let an arrow fly from his Parker Tornado cross bow.
Chuck recalls that he thought the arrow struck the buck a little low, but that the hit sounded good and looked like a fatal shot. The big whitetail gave a mule kick and bounded off into the woods. Chuck followed him with his binoculars and noticed that the buck was acting as if it was unscaved. Although the hunter felt good about the shot he was dissapointed to see the deer walk off and disappear.
As darkness approached Chuck wanted to at least locate his arrow so he gathered his stuff and walked over to where he had shot the buck. Indeed the arrow was close by and there was a decent amount of blood on the ground. The arrow contained some stomach matter and Chuck decided to back out and return the following morning.
As any hunter can imagine Chuck spent a sleepless night playing the shot back in his mind and praying that his search the next morning would turn up the buck of a lifetime.
At first light he was back at the property and the search began. He started where he found his arrow and followed a faint blood trail for some distance until it faded out. Now the pessimism and anxiety were setting in, but he continued his search. With no blood trail he decided he would grid search the property and see what happens. Finally after 3 hours of relentless pursuit he found his buck more than 200 yards from where he had shot it. The wounded buck tried his best not to be found working his way into a very thick briar patch to expire.
Although Chuck Sharp loves hunting mature whitetails he has no desire for big buck accolades. He has never had his buck officailly scored and has entered no big bame shows. Unfortunately the hunting ground on which this hunt took place has changed hands and he no longer has hunting rights he still continues his pursuit for big Star City Whitetails.
Jeff Phillips
